Schism

The schism (断界殻「シェル」,dankaikaku / "sheru"?, "severed realm shell" / "shell") is a powerful barrier arte enacted by Maxwell around Rieze Maxia in Tales of Xillia. Its main purpose is the protection of the land where humans with functioning mana lobes live together with spirits, protecting them from the destructive properties of the spyrix technology.

History

Over 2,000 years prior to the events of the story, humans developed the spyrix technology, which negatively affected the world, causing spirits, and in extent, the world, to slowly decay. Maxwell decided to gather his disciples and create a new land, free of spyrix, where humans could coexist peacefully with spirits. This new land was called "Rieze Maxia". Twenty years prior to the events of Tales of Xillia, an Elympion vessel, E.S.S. Zenethra, arrived to Rieze Maxia through a hole. Detecting this activity, Maxwell created two entities: the Great Spirit Muzét, sending her to Elympios with the order to execute anyone who knows about the schism, and a human woman whom he names Milla Maxwell, infusing her with a false identity as a means of drawing out the arrival Elympions and killing them.

Trivia

A schism is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination.